Near Field Communication

NFC (or Near Field Communication) is a wireless high-frequency communication technology for small distances (up to 10 centimeters), which supports data transfer between devices disposed not too far apart, such as between a contactless reader and a cell phone or smart-card. NFC holds tremendous promise for the broadest gamut of applications in everyday life and in business, from commercial services to healthcare and education.

The world’s foremost high-tech and finance players - Google, Intel, Samsung, Nokia, Visa, MasterCard, Citigroup, Barclaycard and others - are firmly committed to evolving and implementing the NFC technology. Their vested interest in NFC indicates that the technology stands to become the actual and juridical standard-bearer in contactless solutions for the next decade.

The latest trend in NFC is the simultaneous developing of services based on the use of smart-cards and mobile devices.

Both options fit in perfectly with a universal NFC ecosystem, where a smart-card or a cell phone with an integrated NFC chip become multipurpose devices used as:

a mean of payment (virtual wallet)

owners ID-card

access key

loyalty card

public transportation card

The NFC chip can store large amounts of critical data, which, if needed, can be safely encrypted.

Today NFC solutions are at work in many areas: online ticket reservations and sales, paying for tickets on public transport and car parking, and numerous other services and forms of entertainment. Having realized the great potential of NFC, one can say with certainty that this technology will be very much needed in the field of security and, in particular, in the field of access management.

The most widespread device that can fully demonstrate the potential of NFC is the mobile phone. A mobile phone with NFC capability can combine the entire functionality of all the options and services that smartcards can provide.

The ubiquitous use of NFC may sound like a tale from some work of science fiction, but the truth is, this technology will very soon become our everyday staple, like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or USB.

News i-Free

Moscow, Russia, 7 November 2013. i-Free has unveiled new functionality in its “Wallet” mobile app. From now on, a contactless transport card can be loaded on “Wallet”. In 11 regions of Russia, public transit passengers can enjoy the convenience of paying fares by lightly touching their mobile phone to a validator device. The same app will also be used to acquire, store and manage discount coupons. Using NFC technology and QR codes, “Wallet” is now officially available for 8 smartphone models from HTC and Philips.